Separating 10 day old chicks according to size and personality (?)

I know I did the right thing. But I'm second guessing it constantly due to the continuing protests of two chicks.

Do chicks even bond with other chicks at this age? This I don't know.

I have 10 Australorps, 1 Fav roo and 10 of something else. The something else is red (probably all roos) with dark brown barred wings with white tips and a wide back stripe with darker brown outside stripes. Their growth rate is ridiculously fast compared to the aussies and fav.

The problem started with the emergence of actual feathers. Which have to be constantly tested for hoppiness, of course.

Making their kiddie pool totally inadequate from the first hop.

My poor little flock was getting hammered to exhaustion by these bigger chicks. I built a second brooder pen. Duh moment. I knew I was getting unknown chicks for warmth in shipping but I didn't actually think it through and wasn't prepared for them to be so obviously different from the Aussies. They are the olympians of the busy chick bounce along. I'm tired just watching them.

So, now I have my problem. One of the unknown chicks keeps going on and on and on and on with the shrill peeping. And it stretches up tall and looks over the side of the kiddie pool like its bereft and doesn't understand why it can't be with the smaller chicks.

Do I try to put it in with the smaller chicks to calm it?

Do I ignore it? (easier said than done ... )

Is this weird or what?

Honestly, listening to this chick peep is making me stress because I have no idea what it's problem is. I even checked it over thoroughly for any signs of bullying, injury or illness. Nothing there. It just wants to be in the other pen ...

Is it maybe a girl? That has occurred to me too. One of my aussie chicks takes a peculiar interest in the red chicks constant calling .... answering back in a much softer peep

I never really thought how old they are normally when the start bonding, I know for sure when they are around 6 weeks they bond, I had a sad incident with on of my chicks and there bestie was so depressed after words :(

I never really thought how old they are normally when the start bonding, I know for sure when they are around 6 weeks they bond, I had a sad incident with on of my chicks and there bestie was so depressed after words :(

It sounds like the larger chick is devastated by the move out of the smaller ones. Really, I feel just plain weird for saying that because these are chickens... not people. But I can hear it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldhenlikesdogs

Why don't you move just the one back, and yes they bond tightly with all their clutch mates and some become like friends.

I will do that now. I guess I just needed to hear it from someone who knows. Reading about chicks is a lot different from actually having live chicks.